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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417020">December 2016</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticVicu/pseuds/ArtisticVicu'>ArtisticVicu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Monthly Prompt Writings [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cultural Differences, End of the World, Facing Death, Gen, Original Character(s), agreements with aliens, another world - Freeform, multiple stories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2016-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2016-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:01:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,200</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticVicu/pseuds/ArtisticVicu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Each chapter is a different story.</p><p>Chapter 1:<br/>“I remember mom telling us about a legend,” he commented offhandedly, gaze still skyward. “The one about the phoenix and how it could be reborn after it burst into ashes. How life was just like the cycle of the phoenix. From the moment your born, it’s nothing but movement and information. Smoldering determination and white hot emotions. Life just throws everything it has at you to see if you’ll rise from the ashes or go down in a burning ball of misery.”</p><p>Chapter 2:<br/>Angel glanced back at Kyle, full-heartedly agreeing with him. The city was massive yet there was a scattering of people that they’d come as they followed their guide. Said guide looked back at them, smiling softly like he always did. “That is because it is a Holy Day.”</p><p>Chapter 3:<br/>Marcus placed a heavy hand on Derek’s shoulder, his gaze hard. “Derek, do you know what Zoe is doing?” Derek shook his head. “She’s taking this in stride. She’s working hard to make sure that her friends and family won’t be left behind. She’s trying her darndest to make it through to become a liaison between us and them because she believes she can protect all of us.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Monthly Prompt Writings [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684405</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Legend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gravel crunched underneath as he sat down heavily. Groaning at the movement, he grabbed at the wound on his side, hissing at the pain it caused. He didn’t let up the pressure but he did relax, leaning his head back against the stone wall behind him.<br/><br/>He chuckled weakly. “It’s funny,” he commented, eyes half lidded. “I always thought we would make it farther than this.”<br/><br/>He closed his eyes as a breeze washed over him, pulling at his hair, at his face, as gently as it did the trees above him. He opened his eyes, taking in the glimpses of blue sky beyond. “Guess I was wrong.”<br/><br/>His expression turned sad, mournful even, as he settled more into the wall. “But, hey, least we made it this far, right, brother?”<br/><br/>He glanced over at the prone shape beside him in a worse condition than he was. There wasn’t much sign of life but he could tell that his brother was still there, still alive, if just barely.<br/><br/>He turned his gaze skyward again.<br/><br/>The wind rustled through the leaves again and he closed his eyes. The sound of the nature around them was soothing after such a hard trek, after such a hard moment in their life that he relished the peace.<br/><br/>When he opened his eyes again, the sun was setting and the sky had gone from a vibrant blue to a darkening orange. He couldn’t bring himself to care.<br/><br/>“I remember mom telling us about a legend,” he commented offhandedly, gaze still skyward. “The one about the phoenix and how it could be reborn after it burst into ashes. How life was just like the cycle of the phoenix. From the moment your born, it’s nothing but movement and information. Smoldering determination and white hot emotions. Life just throws everything it has at you to see if you’ll rise from the ashes or go down in a burning ball of misery.”<br/><br/>A bird passed overhead, chirping happily. “I remember thinking I understood that legend when we had followed dad’s footsteps. Life was suddenly alight with passion. Every day was high paced, ending like a candle does when the sun went down. Then mom died and I believed I had come to understand the legend that much more. Suddenly the emotions were too much to bear. I couldn’t take it. I was so over stimulated by them all that I became numb. Numb until, suddenly, determination was lighting my way again. And suddenly the emotions I felt were burning hot and fueled my motivation. Our motivation.”<br/><br/>The sun reached a point in its descent that rays of light cut through the trees, illuminating all the particles in the air and illustrating just where the leaves fell in the beams of light. He watched as the beams, one by one, faded as the sun continued to set.<br/><br/>“I thought that the legend we were chasing had no similarities to the phoenix,” he confessed. “I saw no need to try and compare the two. A phoenix is a myth. There was no bird that could die in flames only to be reborn from the ashes. But then we saw things.” Memories flashed through his mind’s eye, things he wished he had never seen, never heard. But with those memories, those choices, had come people they cared about and who cared about them and his expression softened. He couldn’t bring himself to regret any of it. “We saw things that no human should have ever witnessed. We saw things that would have broken others, would have destroyed others. But they didn’t destroy us. Somehow, through all of this, we never turned to ash and stayed ash. We were reborn. Over and over again. We got back up, dusted ourselves off, and kept moving. We kept chasing a legend.”<br/><br/>The sun’s last rays dissipated as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. The first stars were already making their appearances through the leaves. “We kept moving, kept going. Kept trying. But no matter how far we got, how hard we ran, that legend remained out of reach, out of touch.”<br/><br/>The pressure on his wound dissipated as his arm gave out. He paid it no mind as he closed his eyes, face still pointed skyward. “We discovered horrible truths about that legend and yet we still kept running after it, trying rid ourselves of the information with believing that, once we had captured it, we’d be fine.”<br/><br/>He opened his eyes and a tear raced down his cheek, another going with it shortly thereafter. “I don’t think mom told us the full legend about the phoenix, brother. I think she was trying to protect us from the truth.”<br/><br/>He closed his eyes again, another tear falling. “Of how the phoenix’s cycle eventually comes to an end, how it doesn’t last forever. That, once the phoenix has used up all of its energy to reform, it will turn to ashes and never rise again.”<br/><br/>He found it much harder to open his eyes this time. The wind pulled at his wet cheeks, the air colder than it had been with the sun up. “I think she didn’t want us to go on living with the belief that, at some point, we would wear ourselves out and lose the ability to get back up again, to keep moving. That life loses its spark after living it for too long.”<br/><br/>He chuckled weakly. “Funny how chasing one legend can lead to the understanding of another.”<br/><br/>He closed his eyes with the intent of keeping them closed this time. He was so tired. “I’m sorry, Alphonse. I tried. I tried so hard to keep my promise to you and I’ve broken it.” The tears came faster but there were no sobs. Just breathless words. “I want to keep it but I don’t think I can get up after this one, brother. I don’t think we can bounce back after this.”<br/><br/>“It’s alright, brother,” came the soft, weak voice from the form beside him. “I’m tired too.”<br/><br/>He forced his eyes open one last time. He smiled, but it felt off. “Think we’ll see mom again?”<br/><br/>“Yeah,” came the breathy reply. “Yeah, I do.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Holy days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I thought cities were supposed to be bustling, not unsettling ghost towns.”<br/><br/>Angel glanced back at Kyle, full-heartedly agreeing with him. The city was massive yet there was a scattering of people that they’d come as they followed their guide. Said guide looked back at them, smiling softly like he always did. “That is because it is a Holy Day.”<br/><br/>“Holy day?” she asked, frowning. “You’re entire city follows one religion?”<br/><br/>Their guide nodded. “The majority do. Those that do not still respect the rules of Holy Days. After all, there are only so many Holy Days in a year.”<br/><br/>Dean perked up, intrigued like always at new information. Angel, for her part, felt uneasy about getting behind his enthusiasm. Dean quickly asked, “How many Holy Days are there? Are they like the holidays on Earth or the Sabbath of many religions?”<br/><br/>Their guide tapped his chin, thoughtful. “I do not fully know the cultures on Earth. The teaching on it – especially in this country – are very few and far between with lacking information at best. Unless you end up in a position that requires that knowledge but very few positions call for it.”<br/><br/>“But you are one of those selected to be given that knowledge,” Angel pointed out, her distrust coloring her tone.<br/><br/>Their guide sighed, giving her a look that contrasted greatly with what they normally received from him. “Yes, I am, but it was not by my choice.” His eyes darkened. “I chose my profession to avoid the position. Yet it only placed me more firmly into the position they wanted me to be in.” He looked around, his expression becoming flat. “I am glad it is a Holy Day. Not many will take notice of us and far fewer will overhear our conversations out in public.”<br/><br/>Angel muttered a curse under her breath. He was right. They were being careless and she needed to treat this with the severity it already has.<br/><br/>“Will we stand out terribly if we hunt for a more secure location?” Kyle asked, keeping his voice down.<br/><br/>Their guide shook his head. “No. While Holy Days are spent at home and behind closed windows, there are some jobs that are specific to Holy Days. Walking through the city will not be strange.” He frowned slightly. “Though the group size may draw attention, it would only be for a moment. I doubt anyone would pay us that much attention.”<br/><br/>“Which means we’ve already been spotted and tracked,” Kyle muttered, crossing his arms. “Great.”<br/><br/>Angel placed a hand on his arm, placating him as she looked to their guide. “Nikolaos, is there a place we can rendezvous at or should we just go straight to our destination as is? We may be putting a number of people in danger by just traipsing through the city like we are.”<br/><br/>“Like ourselves,” Kyle growled only loud enough for Angel to hear.<br/><br/>She ignored it.<br/><br/>Nikolaos shook his head. “Just going straight through would be best.” He turned and started walking again, the group following suit. “Where we are heading would not seem out of the ordinary for groups this size to be going to on a Holy Day, especially not for foreigners.”<br/><br/>Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “How obvious is it we’re not from this country?”<br/><br/>Nikolaos gave that soft smile of his. “Very. Don’t worry. That’ll be fixed with time.”<br/><br/>Silence fell over the group as they made their way through the city. Sure enough, Angel caught sight of civilians working in some form or fashion, the majority of the jobs focused around cleaning the city.<br/><br/>“It’s interesting what their ideals are, isn’t it?” Angel looked over to Dean, his brown eyes knowing behind his glasses. He kept his voice low, allowing for only her and Kyle to overhear. “For them, having a clean city is important. But not just free of trash and possibly some natural imperfections like dust, dirt, and fallen leaves. Each bit of structure, whether it’s the street or the house, is being washed. Even when it will most likely become dirty within the next 2 hours, they still make sure everything is pristine. They care a lot about appearances. Makes you wonder what they’re trying to hide.”<br/><br/>Angel looked over one of the store fronts they were passing – actually looked at it and noted how everything was very controlled and very pristine. She suddenly felt distrust for the city around her, taking Dean’s words to heart. She had noticed each thing he had voiced, had even briefly thought about it herself, but having another confirm her suspicions as brief they were only made her furious at herself. She needed to quit with the self doubt. Even if her plans to become a lawyer were shot at this point, her skills and intuition were still as sharp as ever and she needed to keep them that way.<br/><br/>Dean and Kyle fell into a conversation about some random thing. Angel let the two brothers be, turning her attention onto the other two in their group. She touched Kat’s arm, asking them both softly, “How are you two doing?”<br/><br/>“I’m doing fine,” Kat offered easily before looking to Gezabelle. “Geza?”<br/><br/>Gezabelle offered a weak smile and an even weaker, “I’m fine.”<br/><br/>Kat wrapped an arm around the smaller young woman’s shoulders as Angel sighed. It was amazing how different the two youngest of their group behaved. Dean was taking this all in stride while Gezabelle seemed to be come apart at the seams. But, then again, it had been her brother that had left, and not Dean’s. Aaron was Gezabelle’s protector. Even now she looked to him for guidance but, now that he wasn’t here, Gezabelle seemed lost and it was all any of them could do to help her keep moving.<br/><br/>“We’ll get him back,” Angel spoke, her voice low but serious. Gezabelle looked up at her with surprise, fear, and a small spark of hope. Angel offered her a soft smile. “I promise.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. This is my December</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The glass clattered against the counter sharply but Marcus didn’t overly care much. He rubbed at his face as Derek settled beside him at the kitchen island.<br/><br/>“So this is where you ran off to. Though you were avoiding the party.”<br/><br/>Marcus chuckled. “No, not avoiding the party. Avoiding the small talk that comes with said party.”<br/><br/>Silence settled over the pair of them and, for once, neither strove to break it.<br/><br/>“This has been one hell of a month,” Derek finally uttered, rolling his own glass against the counter.<br/><br/>Marcus snorted. “No kidding. First your accident–”<br/><br/>“Then the natural disasters–”<br/><br/>“Followed by the sudden war–”<br/><br/>“On top of the invasion–”<br/><br/>Marcus gave a bitter laugh. “Who would have figured that all we had known would blow up in our face in less than 30 days?”<br/><br/>Derek didn’t join in his dry humor. Marcus downed his drink.<br/><br/>“Think we’ll make it out of this alive?” Derek asked softly.<br/><br/>“How can we not?” Marcus muttered darkly. “We have people relying on us. We cannot let them down.”<br/><br/>Derek gave him a pleading look. “But how are we supposed to cope? All of this in less than 30 days and they’re requiring us to give up what we know for something out of a science-fiction novel? Marcus, I don’t know if I can handle that.”<br/><br/>Marcus placed a heavy hand on Derek’s shoulder, his gaze hard. “Derek, do you know what Zoe is doing?” Derek shook his head. “She’s taking this in stride. She’s working hard to make sure that her friends and family won’t be left behind. She’s trying her darndest to make it through to become a liaison between us and them because she believes she can protect all of us.”<br/><br/>“Zoe?” Derek asked in disbelief. “Our kid sister?”<br/><br/>“Our kid sister who is only two years younger than you,” Marcus reminded him. “And yes, Zoe. She’s doing everything she can to help us all and what are her two older brothers doing? Getting wasted at a New Year’s party.”<br/><br/>“She isn’t here?”<br/><br/>Marcus sighed. “I haven’t seen her but that doesn’t mean anything. The entire family is here for whatever reason, meaning there’s almost 100 people in this godforsaken house with all the cousins and kids and grandkids and grandparents.” Marcus groaned. “When did we all get so old?”<br/><br/>“About two years ago after you turned 27,” Derek chuckled. Derek raised his glass as if to drink but he lowered it, asking, “Is your girlfriend here?”<br/><br/>“We broke up about a week ago.”<br/><br/>Derek gave him a blank look. “Seriously?”<br/><br/>Marcus shrugged. “Our relationship was already strained. I’m not surprised it finally snapped after all that’s happened.”<br/><br/>Derek shook his head. “Man. And I thought you two were going to get hitched.”<br/><br/>Marcus chuckled. “Dude, we had only been dating for four months.”<br/><br/>Derek gave him a wide eyed look. “What, seriously? I thought it had been four years!”<br/><br/>Marcus shook his head. “That was Samantha.”<br/><br/>“I liked her.”<br/><br/>Marcus sighed heavily as he refilled his glass, muttering, “So did I.” He threw back the drink before refilling his glass. Derek took the bottle from him to refill his own glass. “I had a ring and everything but she was suddenly gone with only a note that said, ‘I’m sorry’ and every item she had ever owned gone from my house.”<br/><br/>Derek threw back his own refilled glass. “That’s harsh.”<br/><br/>“Very.”<br/><br/>Silence settled as chatter and laughter spilled in from the other room, the sound of children squealing and playing adding an upbeat undertone. Derek looked to his older brother, a sad smile on his face. “Can you believe we’re the oldest out of our cousins to not have kids yet? Paul is expecting his first kid and he just graduated from high school back in May.”<br/><br/>“When did he get hitched?” Marcus asked in disbelief.<br/><br/>“Some time in November. High school sweetheart or something sappy like that.” A goofy grin settled over Derek’s face. “She’s sweet but not much in the attic. Fits him perfectly.”<br/><br/>Marcus shook his head. “Sad when our kid cousins are having kids before us.”<br/><br/>“No kidding.”<br/><br/>The two men turned, looking at the figure standing in the doorway. The pair stood up but the young woman shook her head, smiling. “Sit back down, you two. I just came to see if you drank all the booze yet.”<br/><br/>“Not yet,” Derek assured as Marcus reached out and pulled her close. Her arms wrapped around his neck briefly before she reached over and dragged Derek into the embrace. There was the sound of a familiar song playing in the other room.<br/><br/>“Already almost midnight?” Marcus asked, frowning as he glanced at the nearest clock.<br/><br/>She nodded. “About five minutes out.” Her grip on the two men tightened.<br/><br/>Derek had settled completely against her side, his head happily resting against hers even though his expression was just as sad as hers was. Marcus, not being the overly affectionate type, merely kept his arm around her, his other hand finding the back of Derek’s head and rubbing at the short hair there, a gesture of comfort for both of them.<br/><br/>“We’re going to be alright, right Zoe?” Derek asked in a soft voice.<br/><br/>Zoe seemed to curl in on herself even though she didn’t physically move. “I don’t know.” Marcus’s hand stilled on Derek’s neck. “I hope so but I just don’t know for sure. The majority of the nations are all up in arms even though there has been nothing but peace between us and the invaders.” She pulled back enough to look at the analog clock in the kitchen. “That’s why, come the new year, those that have agreed to go along peacefully will be pulled away from the areas of war. I’ve made arrangements for all of us to be picked up at midnight.”<br/><br/>Marcus tightened his arm around her as he turned his gaze to the clock as well, watching the seconds in their last minute tick away.<br/><br/>“We’ll make it through this,” he assured his two younger siblings even though he couldn’t remove his gaze from the clock.<br/><br/>Derek chuckled, bringing his head up even though he was clearly avoiding looking at the clock. “Of course we are! I told you, after all, that this was my December and, since I wasn’t able to make it my December, I’m going to make this new year all mine and it’s going to be great.”<br/><br/>There was cheering from the other room as the clock struck midnight. Marcus gave Derek a smirk, stating, “You made that promise at the top of the month. You better hold true to this one.”<br/><br/>A light filled the room as Derek nodded and Zoe spoke up, “We’ll all hold true to it.”<br/><br/>The light made the area appear white before suddenly disappearing. What had once been a full house was now empty and quiet. Not a single soul was left behind.</p>
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